


Beware of Short People: They Are Small and Full of Rage

by Rellanka



Series: Life of a Short Love (height complexes are a bitch) [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Crack, Fluff, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2017-04-11
Packaged: 2018-10-17 14:03:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10595529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rellanka/pseuds/Rellanka
Summary: In retrospect, Bucky should probably never ask about Tony's college years. Second timestamp to 'A Short Love'.





	

Bucky blinked at Rhodey silently as the other man stood before him in the hall.

“This the time you start telling me about what you’re going to do to me if I don’t treat my soulmate right?” He asked dryly as Rhodey continued standing in front of him.

“No,” Rhodey answered, just as dry, “This was the time where I asked you how you were doing today, and you went in a completely different direction. I’m not Rogers, Barnes. I’m not going to try to lecture you into acting right. You’ll either treat him well or you’ll get your ass kicked out of his life.”

“So Stevie did wind up lecturing Tony about how he needs to act around me, huh?” Bucky asked with a wince. He’d known that Steve would do something like that, had even asked him not to in an attempt to head him off. But you were more likely to get wood out of a rock than to stop Steve Rogers from doing something he’d set his mind on.

“And got himself trapped in the elevator with a Captain America fan for seven hours for his trouble.” Rhodey confided with a smirk. He shrugged at the way Bucky’s eyebrows had shot up at that, “Friday’s protective.”

Bucky shook his head as a wide smile spread over his face, “Damn, wish I could’ve seen a video of that. Wait. Did Friday…” Bucky turned pleading eyes to Rhodey.

Rhodey smiled just as wide back at him, “Saved the footage on multiple platforms for Tony’s viewing pleasure. He and I were planning on watching it at our next movie night.” Rhodey paused for a moment as he considered Bucky. “Guess you could come if you don’t mind seeing Rogers being traumatized. It’d probably make Tony happy.”

Bucky kind of loved Friday. And Rhodey.

And Bucky definitely didn’t mind watching Steve get his just reward for trying to scare the soldier’s soulmate. Plus, any excuse to try to make Tony as happy as the genius made him was a good one. “I’d love to join you both. Thanks, Rhodes. Really.” 

Rhodey nodded. “Tomorrow night. The game room, one floor down from yours and Tony’s. Bring popcorn, the sweet kettle kind. Tony swears he doesn’t like it, but he’s addicted to that stuff.”

Bucky nodded gratefully, and Rhodey moved like he was going to walk past him before stopping and looking at Bucky with a strange smile. “Barnes, I ever tell you about the Alpha Chi Alpha fraternity at MIT?” 

Bucky frowned, confused. “No.” he said as he wondered where Rhodey was going with this sudden mention of his college years.

Rhodey smiled wider and continued on, “They were basically the king jocks of our college, the rich, spoiled sons of influential men who thought they could get away with whatever they wanted. Bully whoever they wanted. So of course when they ran into Tony, this little teenage genius who looked like he didn’t belong, they started in on him real quick. When one of them found out about his soulmark, the teasing, well let’s just say that Tony owes at least part of his height complex to them. Didn’t help that for the most part they were all tall assholes.”

Bucky had grown stiffer and stiffer while Rhodey talked, his anger building, the Winter Soldier stirring in the back of his mind at the thought of Tony being targeted by guys like that. 

But Rhodey wasn’t done.

“So these guys, they keep pushing it and pushing it, being as cruel little pricks as they possibly can be. But then summer came. And there wasn’t any way in hell that those rich boys were going to choose not to enjoy their tropical summer vacations spent on their daddy’s dollars. So they all left their fraternity house empty. And when they came back, well… Heh. Over the summer every single doorway in the place had been lowered so that they were only five feet, four inches tall. An inch over Tony’s height at the time, incidentally. And those boys, well, they moaned and they whined and they put up a fuss. But strangely every contractor within the state was booked solid for the next three years. There was no contractor willing to come from out of state to work on the house. There were no other houses available within a couple hour’s distance that could be converted. The dorms were full. So those assholes, they were forced to live in that house, as it was, until they got their degree.”

“Of course,” Rhodey continued while Bucky continued staring at him with jaw dropped astonishment, “The Dean of the college loved it. Alcoholic rowdiness from the dicks had been cut down by a significant amount, because even brainless assholes like those can learn that having the facilities to know when you need to duck is important when coming back to a house like that. Or they generally learned after their first concussion. Though interestingly enough, the school never found out who had changed the house. Tony would’ve known if they had; he and the Dean were always close.”

Bucky… Bucky just blinked dazedly at Rhodey from where he was standing as his brain spun. What the hell was he supposed to say to all that?

Rhodey smiled secretively, “What I’m saying, Barnes, is that while Tony loves you, you are the original Tall Person, the one that fate chose to give Tony a height complex for. I don’t need to do a damn thing to you if you don’t treat Tony right. All I need to do is to find a place to hide a body.” 

And with that, Rhodey finished walking past him down the hallway.

**Author's Note:**

> Everyone. That's who knew that it was Tony who had the doorways changed. **Every. One.** This is partially why Tony's later college years were no where near as bad as they could have been. The main reason is of course Rhodey.
> 
> Also yes, Rhodey and Bucky are still currently in the last name stage when addressing each other. Don't worry. They'll grow past that as the caretaking of Tony Stark draws them closer together.
> 
> Lastly: The fraternity mentioned was not taken from any real life fraternity, and I don't mean any offense to any real fraternity out there. Sorry if I did offend anyone, guys!


End file.
